Home Care and Senior Driving Safety

For senior citizens, driving can pose many hazards that younger members of the population don’t face. While elderly people usually have the benefit of many more years of driving experience, which can lead to better decision-making on the road, certain risk factors make driving generally more dangerous for seniors. Statistics have shown that people over 65 years of age are far more likely to be killed in automobile accidents than younger people. This is due to various factors, including the elderly population's greater difficulty in recovering from injuries, as well as age-related vision, hearing and coordination problems.

This is not to say that elderly people in general are dangerous on the road. Each person has different driving abilities and habits, and a decision not to drive should be based on a person’s actual driving, not based on mean stereotypes painting the elderly as bad drivers. Many of the elderly are better drivers those who are young and inexperienced, who can be reckless, acting as if they and their cars are invincible.

Nonetheless, if you or a loved one is having a hard time driving safely, it may be time to get some help, and home care services, such as those provided by ACS can offer seniors ways to get around safer. Many of ACS’ caregivers have driver’s licenses and cars, or the ability to drive client’s cars, and are able to take clients to the places they want to go. This way, elderly people who are no longer safe to drive can retain much of the same independence of transportation that they had while driving, while keeping risks low.

It can be tough to give up driving, even if you know it is no longer safe for you. Fortunately this does not mean an end to independent transportation. Home care services like ACS can help you get where you need to go.

Sources:

http://seniors.lovetoknow.com/Elderly_Driving_Statistics